Some Words from the Bird

 This was an undertaking. The Anthology was compiled by Harry Smith, and walks one through the early days of American music. Music that predates Aerosmith.  Mr. Smith must have been very dedicated to his project, to put together six CD's of the music of past generations. Perhaps this music was sweeter to his ear than it was to mine, so the task would not be as daunting for him. Sharing one's music, like subjecting your friends to your latest musical finds at a house party, is fun; especially if it is well received. If I were tasked with putting this compilation together, it would be a labour of necessity, not love. The Anthology is  historically significant, not only as an archive of music that would likely otherwise be lost, but as an influence to the folk singers of the sixties and after. Allegedly,  this Anthology was very well received by the folk scene, and many legendary and also some contemporary artists cut their teeth learning these songs, before d...

 I used to commute to work. Four days a week,  I was driving through farmland and small patches of wilderness for about one and a half hours then returning at the end of my work day. I worked shift work, so I was fortunate not to be caught in the same traffic patterns all the time. Some days the road was packed, some days it was empty. I did get to the point where I knew some of my fellow travelers by sight, and could predict where certain cars would either join the parade, or leave it.  The first few weeks of the commute were brutal. I was still an aggressive, impatient driver, and wanted to make the best time possible. I rarely put on the cruise control, and spent a lot of time in the other lane, passing those who obviously weren't in as much of a hurry as I was. That soon changed as the drive became rote. I began using the cruise. I had listened to all two thousand songs on my USB key. Then one day it happened, I realized that I was spending a massive amount of time...

 Under no circumstances can I be called a student of the blues. I do enjoy watching a blues band live, in some sweaty club, all the while swilling beer like I had just arrived at an oasis after crawling through the desert for two or three days. I personally believe that the blues is best served up live, the recording of this type of music doesn't do it justice.  So if the music was recorded almost one hundred years ago, it is reasonable to assume that the technology of the time might have left a little of what the artist had to offer on the table. Luckily, in the case of this Robert  Johnson offering, we have heard it revamped and repackaged hundreds of times. It is undeniably the basis of a lot of the music we hear today, like an old farmhouse that has been updated to modern standards, the framework remains the same, solid beams and posts put together to last. The songs, although I have never really listened to them before, are as familiar as the face of an old frien...

 Hey there, folks! I have created a blog. This is something I have been considering for some time. Just today I realized that this blog is not going to create itself, so I decided to start typing. There is a problem, however. I have no idea what I want to write about; which witty insights I can provide to the Internet that are new, challenging, and relevant. Looking at these words, I chuckle, thinking that none of them really apply to me. I should start by considering you, my audience. The world at large that will hang on my every word.  A quick pause there, while reality sets in. There are thousands, probably millions, of blogs out there, so the chances that anyone other than myself reading this are minimal. Especially when I don't really have a central theme to my blog.  It's like Seinfeld pitching a show about nothing. Except they had an abundance of talent, and I am in this position because I have a computer, and this is free! Isn't the world we live in...